Romney's immigration policy would add a hiring hurdle

Source: CNN

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Mitt Romney promises less regulation on small businesses, but the immigration plan he supports would add an extra step to the hiring process.

Romney has said the nation should follow immigration rules like those in Arizona, where companies are forced to use a federal government program called E-Verify. Business owners are required to check the legal status of all new workers against Social Security and immigration records.

It's an added responsibility that some businesses don't want or think necessary. And to many in Arizona, it's one they outright ignore.

Of all new hires in Arizona, nearly a third don't get vetted by E-Verify, according to a review of federal records by CNNMoney. There were 1.45 million people hired in Arizona during fiscal year 2011, and only 982,593 were checked with E-Verify, according to data from the U.S. Census and the Department of Homeland Security.

Of course, in his quest to force undocumented immigrants to "self-deport," he could also encourage employers to discriminate against minorities and add additional red tape to the small businesses he claims he wants to help.

4. From America's Voice: The Truth about E-Verify

Imagine if Democrats proposed legislation that would cause the loss of almost 800,000 jobs, force 4 million more workers into an administrative quagmire, cause an undue burden on small businesses, nearly wipe out the agricultural workforce, result in the loss of tax revenue – and had a failure rate of over 50%. Republicans would be absolutely apoplectic. We’d never hear the end of it. FOX News would be giving the inane idea wall-to-wall coverage.

That’s exactly what Republican members of Congress, led by the anti-immigrant “Three Amigos” in the House (Reps. Lamar Smith, Elton Gallegly and Steve King) and Senator Chuck Grassley are proposing. It’s called E-Verify and it’s the GOP’s latest gambit to force the deportation of all 11 million undocumented immigrants from the U.S.

Now, those members won’t exactly say that mass deportation is their goal, but it is. Their latest ploy is to push E-Verify, the massive (and flawed) government identification system onto all American business and all American workers. Funny how they don’t hate all government mandates. They know E-Verify doesn’t work. But their zeal for mass deportation trumps common sense.

Over the next few weeks and months, we’ll hear Republicans claim unequivocally that E-Verify is the next great solution to our immigration problem. Let’s look at some key facts about the GOP’s next “great” idea – mandatory E-Verify for all workers:

Job loss: Westat estimates that 770,000 American workers would lose their jobs due to database errors. Already in FY10, it is estimated that 80,000 Americans unfairly lost their jobs because of E-Verify. That’s almost 800,000 jobs in an economy that still hasn’t recovered from the recession.

Errors that will affect millions of workers: Republicans hate big government, except when it comes to E-verify, which has an error rate that will impact millions. Due to the error rate of the program, the government estimates that mandatory E-verify will force between 3 million and 4.1 million American workers to get their records corrected by a government agency or lose their jobs. These errors put an enormous burden on workers and can result in loss of wages, adverse action by employers, and loss of employment. The Government Accounting Office called the process of fixing government database errors “formidable” and SSA reported in 2010 that 3.3 million visitors left a field office without receiving service.

5. That is simply incorrect

If a person's documents don't match with the USCIS or SSA records, a 'tentative non-confirmation' comes up and it allows the employee several days within which he/she can rectify the information with the agency (USCIS or SSA). There are dedicated phone numbers to call and the onus is on the employee to contact the agency within the required amount of time. The employee is given the choice to not contest the 'non-confirmation' or to call the agency and get the situation resolved. If, after the days have passed, the situation is not resolved or the employee does not call the agency, then the employee can be terminated. Prior to that, however, the employee cannot be terminated and must be paid for the work done.

Additionally, E-Verify also has a photo match for immigration documentation, where a digital photo of the employee appears and it can be compared to the documents that the employee provides.

E-Verify is used in conjunction with the I-9 form, which is already a requirement for employers and requires to verify employment eligibility and identity, except that E-Verify can actually detect people who use fraudulent documentation.

E-Verify is not a republican thing and it's not a tool to deport anyone. Its purpose is to enforce laws that have been on the books for a long time - basically, it is an extra tool to make sure employees are lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. I have a green card and I've never been afraid of E-Verify, which I've used for employees ranging from U.S. citizens all the way to asylees and parolees who are authorized to work, and everything in between.

The error rate is less than 3%. And it gets better all the time. Moreover, no one who 'fails' E-Verify gets deported - they just don't get to have a job because the law clearly prohibits anyone who is not authorized for employment to legally work in the U.S. This law is not unique to the U.S. Most countries require that employees have the legal authorization to work.